Biography for
Cybill Shepherd More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

18 February 1950, Memphis, Tennessee, USA

Birth Name

Cybill Lynne Shepherd

Height

5' 8" (1.73 m)

Mini Biography

Cybill Lynne Shepherd was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Patty, a homemaker, and William Shepherd, a small business owner. Named after her grandfather Cy, and her father, Bill, Shepherd's career began at a young age in modeling, when she won the "Miss Teenage Memphis" contest in 1966 and the "Model of the Year" contest in 1968. She became a fashion icon and went on to grace the cover of every major magazine as well as famously act as spokesperson for L'Oreal. This lead to her acting and on screen debut in Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show. Nominated for Most Promising Newcomer, Shepherd continued to build her film career with influential roles in The Heartbreak Kid and Taxi Driver. After taking a break in her career to have her first child, Clementine Ford, she returned to Hollywood in 1983, to make her television series debut in an episode of Fantasy Island. She went on to star with Bruce Willis in the highly recognized show, Moonlighting, and won Shepherd two Golden Globe Awards. Her third Golden Globe followed for her series, Cybill, with which she also took on a producer role.

Aside from the film industry, Shepherd has been an outspoken activist for issues such as gay rights and abortion rights. In 2009, she was honored by the Human Rights Campaign in Atlanta to accept one of two National Ally for Equality awards.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous

Spouse

Bruce Oppenheim	(1 March 1987 - 20 March 1990) (divorced) 2 children
David M. Ford	(19 November 1978 - 23 September 1982) (divorced) 1 child

Trivia

Gave birth to twins, Ariel & Zachariah Oppenheim, October 6, 1987, with ex-husband, Bruce Oppenheim.

Daughter Clementine Ford (born June 29, 1979) with ex-husband David M. Ford.

Cybill was named after her grandfather, Cy, and her father, Bill.

1968: Won the Model of the Year honors.

1966: Was Miss Teenage Memphis winner.

11/25/00: Had to flee from her Memphis home after a log fire in her master bedroom got out of control. Firefighters managed to contain the damage to the bedroom.

1968: Graduated Memphis East (TN) High School.

Cybill Shepherd revealed in her autobiography "Cybill Disobedience" that her engagement to Robert Martin (in the book given the fake name "Howard Roark") ended on October 24, 1998 when he told her in their couples' therapy session.

Her look-alike daughter, Clementine Shepherd-Ford (Clementine Ford) is a budding actress who was named Miss Golden Globe, handed to celebrity offspring.

1996: Weighed 140 lbs. (Source: Star Magazine).

2002: Treated for a serious melanoma which will require monitoring for the remainder of her life.

Early 1970s: A fashion model, she was discovered for films when director Peter Bogdanovich spotted her on the cover of Glamour magazine while standing in a supermarket checkout line.

Measurements: 33-24-35 (in 1986), 34B-25-36 (at celebrity bra auction 1995); (Source: Celebrity Sleuth magazine).

1985: During an appearance at the Emmy Awards, she wore orange Reebok Freestyle hi-top sneakers. This appearance gained her some fashion criticism for wearing orange Reeboks with a black formal strapless gown. Even on the "Moonlighting" (1985) set, Cybill would switch from pumps into comfortable Reebok sneakers. Sometimes the sneakers would get caught in scenes during filming.

Gave her former lover and artistic mentor Peter Bogdanovich a signed photograph that hangs in his New York City apartment in which she addresses him as "Sven," short for "Svengali." Svengali was a musician in George L. Du Maurier's Bohemian novel "Trilby" who, through hypnosis, teaches the eponymous heroine to sing and controls her singing for his own purposes.

5/13/74: Was the subject of a cover story, along with her lover Peter Bogdanovich, in "People Magazine." It was the 10th issue of the magazine, which was first published on March 4, 1974.

1973: Was the presenter of the Oscar for Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the ceremony held on April 2, 1974, along with co-presenter Ernest Borgnine. When Shepherd, reading through the list of nominees, reached John Houseman, she credited his performance to Paper Moon (1973) instead of the film in which he had actually appeared, The Paper Chase (1973). After her error, Shepherd said, "Oops!" and soldiered on. When she reached Randy Quaid, she credited his Oscar-nominated performance to The Last Picture Show (1971). Although Quaid had indeed appeared in The Last Picture Show (1971), the movie his nominated role had appeared in was The Last Detail (1973), directed by Hal Ashby. "Oops again," Miss Shepherd lamely apologized. Both "mispronouncements" were films directed by her then-lover, Peter Bogdanovich. The "mix-ups" were seen by the audience in the Dorothy Chandler Pavillion as a crass and calculated attempt to be "cute," according to Oscar historian Robert Osborne.

Was told she had a "great ass" by Marlon Brando as she walked away from him at a Hollywood party held for Stella Adler. Adler had been the acting teacher of both Brando and Shepherd's then-lover, Peter Bogdanovich. Shepherd had been sitting on a couch with Brando and Adler when Brando announced he couldn't stand her inane talk. After being insulted, she got up and left, only to be complimented by the great actor on her derrière. At the party, Adler also told her that her "Irish nose" prevented her from being a great beauty.

Wanted Harley Venton to play the role of David Addison Jr. on "Moonlighting" (1985).

A fervent civil rights supporter, including gay rights, she not only appeared in "The L Word" (2004) but was once on the cover of The Advocate (in 1993).

1993: For Christmas she gave copies of the books "The Change" by Betty Friedan, and "Women Who Run With The Wolves" by Clarissa Pinkola Estes for gifts.

Ex-mother-in-law of Chad Todhunter.

Ex-husband Bruce Oppenheim married Jenilee Harrison in 1993.

Inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame on March 10, 2006. The other inductees were Matthew McConaughey, Kris Kristofferson, JoBeth Williams and Lyle Lovett.

Larry McMurtry's 1987 novel, "Texasville" is dedicated to her. "Texasville" is the sequel to "The Last Picture Show", the film version of which Shepherd made her acting debut as Jacy. She would reprise the role in the sequel's 1999 film adaptation.

Personal Quotes

I think the measure of your success to a certain extent will be the amount of things written about you that aren't true.

[on her film debut in The Last Picture Show (1971) and her romance with its director. Peter Bogdanovich] When a film wraps, the actors often like to keep some of their props or wardrobe as mementos. I wanted the heart-shaped locket and brown and white saddle shoes that Jacy wore, but his wife Polly [Polly Platt] was in charge of costumes and wouldn't give them to me. I guess she figured I had enough of a souvenir: her husband.

I had the serendipity of modeling during a temporary interlude between Twiggy and Kate Moss, when it was actually okay for women to look as if we ate and enjoyed life.

I never wanted to be Jane. I always wanted to be Tarzan. I didn't want to vacuum the tree house. I wanted to swing from the vines.

[on Marilyn Monroe] She had curves in places most other women don't even have places.

I did the nasty with Elvis [Elvis Presley]. This man loved to eat. But there was one thing he wouldn't eat . . . 'til he met me.

My home is different from my mother's, because hers is filled with beautiful objects that I was always afraid of breaking. My home is the opposite. Bring on the kids, the dogs, the parties - there's nothing that's so important it can't be broken.

I was born and bred to be a great flirt.

Your policemen are such wonderful hunks.

I had to lie so much about sex, first when I was 15 because I wasn't supposed to be having it. And when I got older, I lied to everybody I was having sex with, so I could have sex with other people.

Salary

Taxi Driver (1976)	$35,000
The Last Picture Show (1971)	$5,000